Reader Comments and Retorts

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

Brock #9420. ELMER FLICK
Only about ten years of any value, which is about 4 fewer than Thompson has. A margin of only 3 in OPS+ can't make up that difference.

I will lose my reputation for insight if I do much more counting but which 14 seasons do you have in mind?

EricC #9520. Sam Thompson Probably in the HoF due to classical stats, but his eyeballed classical stats don't even look that impressive, given his relatively small number of career games played (in context). Win Shares is particularly harsh on him for reasons that I've never fully understood, but, then, why isn't it so harsh on his OF teammates Hamilton and Delahanty?

Which seasons do you have in mind?

Devin McCullen #1008. Reggie Jackson. My favorite player as a little kid (before I switched to the Mets), a great slugger who made life more difficult for himself than it needed to be.

That sounds like a switch from the Yankees to the Mets, taking for granted that a favorite player is on a favorite team. If so then you missed Reggie at his best. --including the '73 Series against the Mets. Sports Illustrated put him on the cover as "SuperDuperStar"; if I'm not mistaken that was during the '73 season and it is one of the famous photos.

I was a little young for that, Paul. Born in 1971. I got into the Yankees in 1978, I think, but a couple of years later I switched to the Mets, mostly because they were my mom's team. Although Reggie was probably still my favorite player until he left the Yankees. My cousin still gives me a hard time about going to Bat Day and making her switch the Reggie bat she got for my Roy White.

7. Pete Rose - (1.25) - He was a better player than a lot of people think. Had 7 seasons of 5.0 DanR WARP or better (the equivalent of Lance Berkman 2004), and played forever.

8. Sam Crawford - (1.24) - The all-time triples leader, who played in era when triples were a very important power stat. Also won 2 HR titles and was top 10 in the league in slugging 14x.

9. Reggie Jackson - (1.16) - A little surprised he ranked this low, but still a superstar. I haven't given him any extra credit for October. For one, as good as he was in the World Series, he was just as bad in the LCS (career .227/.298/.380 in 181 PA).

10. Tony Gwynn - (1.15) (1987 Rosenheck MVP) - Funny that a player that was about as opposite as Reggie ends up with pretty much exactly the same value.

11. King Kelly - Half catcher, half RF, 138 career OPS+ in a pretty long career (especially considering the catching.

12. Roberto Clemente - (1.09) - I think of him as Vlad Guerrero with less power, a heckuva player.

13. Harry Heilmann - (1.05) - One of the top power hitters of his generation.

14. Dwight Evans - (1.02) (1981 Rosenheck MVP ) - Funny - a no-peak guy who should have won an MVP Award. Long solid career, classic career-value HoMer. A travesty that Jim Rice will go into the Hall of Fame while Evans will not.

16. Dave Winfield - (.98) - Not many people would have thought Evans would rank ahead of them when they were active, would they? But Evans was a much better fielder and that makes for Winfield's longer career and very slightly better hitting.

17. Willie Keeler - (.99) - People think he had no power, but his career ISO of .074 doesn't look so bad when you realize the league ISO was just .088. And he hit 61 points above park adjusted league averages.

18. Elmer Flick - (.98) (1905 Rosenheck MVP) - Great player when on the field but his career was very, very short.

19. Joe Jackson - (1.04) - Any deduction at all for 1919-20 (his actions impacted the team on the field) drops him below the tight pack between Heilman/Flick. I don't really see any reason to give him the benefit of the doubt.

20. Sam Thompson - Clearly the worst player here. He could hit, but his career was short and his defensive value was minimal.